Barriers to effective climate change adaptation - Draft report

This report focuses on reforms to policy frameworks that would address barriers to effective adaptation. By Adaptation to climate change, it considers actions taken by households, businesses, other organisations, governments and communities in response to the impacts of climate change, including actions taken pre-emptively to reduce the risks of climate change impacts, or in response to impacts as they happen. It takes into account relevant policies at all levels of government in Australia, as well as intergovernmental approaches.

The first part of the report (chapters 2–4) raises key issues regarding the potential impacts of climate change, some policy-relevant characteristics of climate change, the different types of barriers to adaptation, and the analytical framework the Commission has used to assess reform options and set priorities. The second part (chapters 5-13) assesses reform options in a range of policy areas. The main body of the report is supported by appendixes that describe Australian and overseas approaches to adaptation (appendixes B and C respectively), and the use of modelling tools in climate change and adaptation policy analysis (appendix D).

This draft report was released by the Australian government on 27 April 2012 to assist participants in preparing a submission to the public inquiry into Barriers to Effective Climate Change Adaptation. Participants are invited to examine this draft and provide written comment or attend a public hearing. The deadline for all written responses is Friday 8 June 2012.